Joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte

I am very happy to have this
opportunity to welcome President of Russia Vladimir Putin here in Rome. His
last visit to Italy was in 2015, four years ago. And I am glad to use this
opportunity to welcome him with the same hospitality as he showed me in October
[2018] when I visited Moscow.

On my own behalf and on behalf of the Italian government, I conveyed our condolences on the death of the 14
members of the submarine crew as well as the dozens of flood victims.

Our meeting was very positive and warm-hearted. Our work will continue in a little while because we will move to a different venue where dinner will be held with many representatives of civil
society, because, as you well know, recently the Civil Society Forum has concluded
at the Foreign Ministry, where the ties between our countries at all levels
have been reaffirmed.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin
and I have emphasised the excellent relations our countries enjoy despite the conditions related to the European sanctions against Russia. It is a very
complicated global moment.

Bilateral relations between Italy
and Russia are in our mutual interests. Italy is the second largest European
producer and should not be afraid of globalisation but seize every opportunity.
And Russia, of course, provides important opportunities for our companies and enterprises.

I would like to mention only two
facts: Russia is our fifth export market outside the EU, involving 500 Italian
companies and enterprises. The year 2017 saw our trade returning to growth,
which continued in 2018; but we can work harder in this area.

The joint opportunity to establish
the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti investment platform and its Russian partner would
enable us to provide new support to Italian companies that want to work in various areas, with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses and innovative
start-ups.

We also enjoy excellent cooperation in culture and science. I have reminded President Putin that I highly appreciate the fact that
Italian is very popular in Russian schools. It is already taught at 50 schools
as well as at various centres and universities. We also collaborate through
universities in various spheres.

We also had a chance to discuss international issues of mutual interest.
It is obvious that Russia plays a fundamental, important role in responding to global challenges threatening Europe, Russia and the entire world.

At the G20 summit in Osaka, we said we believed Moscow to be a vital
element in finding ways to address the main regional principles. President
Putin and I said that these ways must be sustainable and, first of all,
political. This is why we intend to rely on constructive decisions and cooperation with Russia in all international contexts together with our
partners.

In particular, we discussed Libya. We said that a threat to stability
and balance could further escalate the situation, which may result in a humanitarian crisis as well as the introduction of the terrorist elements and a threat to energy facilities.

We have spoken about the need to continue supporting the United Nations
and working together to find a way to switch to talks as soon as possible. We
believe that an inclusive political process involving the united international
community is required to cease fire immediately and achieve a long period of peaceful development for Libya.

We also discussed the Syrian crisis: considering our geographic
proximity and the scale on which the crisis is affecting our region, this topic
is important for Italy. It is necessary to find a long-term solution to this
problem using inclusive and pragmatic political means in conformity with UN
Security Council Resolution 2254. We hope that together with UN Special Envoy
Pedersen we will be able to involve all the participants in the dialogue.

In this spirit, we also discussed issues related to the crisis in Ukraine, which must be settled as soon as possible. This is related to the fundamental relations between the European Union and Russia. Continuing with
this dispute may result in losing the trust and the rules elaborated in the 25
years of our dialogue.

Today there is no alternative to the full implementation of the Minsk
Agreements. I would like to reaffirm that Italy believes the Normandy format to be very important, as well as the trilateral [contact group] within the OSCE.
We think that the new presidential mandate the Ukrainian people gave to Mr Zelensky
opens up new opportunities in this area, which must be seized.

We also discussed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear
Forces Treaty. We believe that everyone must do what is necessary to make a contribution
to addressing the task of using this treaty in the dialogue. Addressing this
task is of utmost importance.

I entirely agree with my colleague Mr Giuseppe
Conte and his assessment of our talks. They were very business-like and constructive. The same is true of the in-depth talks with Italian President
Sergio Mattarella.

During the visit, the entire range of issues on bilateral cooperation was reviewed in detail and a number of international and regional affairs were touched on.

Russian-Italian ties have traditionally been
mutually beneficial. There is an ongoing political dialogue. We were pleased to receive Mr Conte in Moscow in 2018. Last April, we met in Beijing. We recently
talked “on the go” in Japan. Contacts are being maintained between the two
countries’ governments, parliaments, business communities and members of the public.

Much attention was attached to economic
cooperation during our talks. Italy is an important trading partner. In 2018,
trade between the two countries increased by almost 13 percent to $27 billion.
I would like to remind you that that figure for 2013 was $54 billion. This is
something we should be striving for.

Accumulated cross-investment has
reached $7.5 billion. As the Prime Minister has said, some 500 Italian
companies and banking organisations are represented on the Russian market. The Russian-Italian Council on Economic, Industrial and Monetary Cooperation is
quite active. An impressive delegation of Italian business captains attended
the recent St Petersburg Economic Forum. We hope that next year Italy will
become a partner of our major international trade fair Innoprom 2020 that will
take place in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Our countries have built up a wealth
of experience in the field of energy cooperation. Fifty years ago, we signed
our first contract on supplying natural gas to Italy. Russia is the largest
exporter of gas to the Italian market. Last year Italian consumers received
almost 23 billion cubic metres, which is 35 percent of this economy’s demand.

Italian funding and technology are
involved in Russian energy projects such as Yamal LNG, Arctic LNG 2 and the construction
of the Amur Gas Processing Plant. Together we are developing oil and gas fields
in Russia and in third countries. I would like to note that this is billions of dollars in investments.

Our major projects include
industrial cooperation. I would like to highlight the construction of an ammonium plant in Leningrad Region that was put into operation a month ago. The project received $1 billion in investments. A Russian-Italian electric motor
company in Chelyabinsk is reaching its full capacity.

Italian companies are largely
involved in infrastructure projects such as extensive road construction in northwestern and southern Russia.

We are expanding our bilateral links
in high technology. According to our cooperation programme until 2023, Russian
and Italian research institutes will collaborate in such fields as genetics,
medicine and pharmaceutics.

We are completing the preparations
for an Italian astronaut’s upcoming flight to the ISS, scheduled for July 20.

Cultural and humanitarian links are
an important part of Russian-Italian relations. Russia provided its assistance
in restoring the city of L'Aquila after the disastrous earthquake in 2009. In particular, we helped to restore unique cultural heritage sites, including the Ardinghelli
Palace and the San Gregorio Church. We hope that in November a delegation from
Italy will attend the St Petersburg International Cultural Forum.

We are forging ties between the State Hermitage museum and the Venice municipality. We continue our cooperation
within the Hermitage-Italy cultural and research centre.

Taking this opportunity, I would
like to congratulate our Italian friends on their successful bid to host the 2026
Winter Olympics. We are ready to assist them in every way, considering our
recent experience of hosting the Olympics in Sochi.

I certainly have to note that for Russians, Italy is one of their favourite travel destinations. Last year, more
than a million Russian tourists visited your country. The number of trips made
by Italians to Russia is also increasing.

Discussing current international
issues, we exchanged views on the future of Russia-EU relations, which, in our opinion,
should develop only on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and on the basis of genuine common interests of all Europeans.

We agreed to continue coordination
on the peace process in Libya, as Mr Prime Minister said, where, unfortunately,
the situation is getting worse, terrorist activity is increasing, and the number of victims is on the rise.

In our mutual opinion, it is
important that the Libyan military-political forces establish a ceasefire, open
a channel for dialogue, and make efforts to resume the political process with
the ultimate goal of overcoming the split in the country and building unified effective
state institutions.

We have certainly reviewed the situation in the region and talked about Ukraine.

I would also like to say a few words
about some of the other events that took place today.

In the morning, I had a meeting with
Pope Francis. We discussed issues concerning the development of relations
between Russia and the Vatican, and we agreed to pay special attention to cooperation in the field of culture, education and healthcare. We discussed the matter of protecting the Christian population of the Middle East and humanitarian
assistance in Syria. It is important that the positions of Russia and the Vatican are harmonious in what concerns the protection of traditional values, and the promotion of interreligious, inter-civilisational dialogue.

Mr Conte and I will also meet with
representatives of the Civic Society Dialogue Forum, which resumed its work
after a six-year break. The forum is designed to promote broader contacts
between representatives of the public, as well as science, culture, and business
communities. A large number of prominent entrepreneurs from Russia and Italy are
taking part in the forum. In general, we expect to support the forum in every
way, promoting its activities and regular meetings.

In conclusion, I would like to thank
all of our Italian friends and colleagues for their joint work and for their very
warm and sincere welcome and hospitality.

Thank you.

Question(retranslated):
I have a question for both President Putin and Prime Minister Conte regarding trade
agreements that were signed with China, specifically because the United States
and some European partners criticised them.

A question for President Putin. What do you think of Ursula von der
Leyen’s appointment as President of the European Commission considering that
she was critical of Russia’s international policy? And are you disappointed
that during his visit to the United States, after his meeting with Mike Pompeo,
Matteo Salvini softened his stance and asserted that Russia must take steps
forward when it comes to Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin: We are already used to the fact
that Russia is expected to take some steps forward. We are very patient and understanding about it.

We are grateful to Italy for its opinion, which is that it is necessary
to restore the full scale of our relations with the European Union. We can see
the Italian government’s efforts towards this result and we are thankful for that. We understand that Italy is bound by certain obligations within various
integration bodies in Europe and NATO, so we do not have any specific
complaints against our Italian friends. But we hope that Italy will express its
view consistently, clearly and will fight for what has been repeatedly stated
publicly, that is, a complete return to normal relations between Russia and Europe.

As concerns Ms von der Leyen, it is not our role to make any judgements
here. It is up to European citizens. We all know that her previous position was
Minister of Defence. We do not know yet how she will handle the new job. We
hope that Europe’s interest in restoring fully functional relations with Russia
will be important for the future leadership of the European Union.

In 2013, our trade with the EU was worth $450 billion and now it is $279
billion, I believe. Where are the missing $150 billion, where are they? I will
tell you: this is lost profit not only for us but for the European countries as well, including Italy. It means that the European countries did not supply our
market with goods worth billions of dollars. It means that new jobs were not
created or existing jobs were lost. People did not get their wages and all
levels of the budget system did not receive a certain amount of taxes. This is
what it means. It is damaging for all of us.

This is why I hope that the new European leadership will take this into
account when developing relations with Russia. In return, we are ready to cover
the part of the road that depends on us.

I would like to say once again what I said at a meeting with our Italian
friends today: you cannot demand that Russia honour the Minsk Agreements, for example, in particular things that do not depend on us in any way. For example,
the Minsk Agreements stipulate full restoration of economic relations between
Donbass and Ukraine. This calls above all for invalidating the former
president’s executive order on the blockade of Donbass. It directly contradicts
the Minsk Agreements. Why do you not ask our Ukrainian partners when they will
do this? We cannot do this for them. I can issue an executive order, but what
would this amount to? Or take the decision on amnesty: the law has been
adopted, but the president has not signed it. This provision is directly
stipulated in the Minsk Agreements. There are more things like that. Let us
calmly talk about who should do what, without shifting the entire
responsibility onto one of the sides.

In addition, the newly elected President, who has received a mandate of confidence from the Ukrainian people, kept saying that he was willing to settle
this problem and to launch dialogue with all those on whom this depends. But
while on a visit to Europe he suddenly said he would not talk with the separatists,
that is, the very people in Donbass with whom he should launch a direct
dialogue. This contradicts what he said during his election campaign.

Let us wait until the parliamentary election in Ukraine and see what
happens then.

As for talks between China and the United States, we would like to see
them reach an agreement that would suit both sides. We are not a party to this
process, but we can say with confidence that if no agreement is reached – this
is not our opinion but the opinion of international experts and major
international organisations – if no agreement is reached, all of us will
suffer, the international economy as a whole will be damaged. In this case,
international trade will plummet by 17 percent by 2024 and global GDP will
slump by 2 percent. It will be bad for all of us.

Therefore, I believe we must do everything in our power to ensure that
these agreements are reached. The policy of politically driven restrictions,
sanctions and unilateral tariffs must stop. We must learn to come to agreements.

I am aware of the Chinese leaders’ position. They have been quite
flexible in a bid to reach an agreement. Let us wait and see what this comes to in practice.

Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte: This is only a remark concerning agreements
and memorandums of understanding, signed between Italy and China.

We did not discuss this today
because, as you may recall, President Putin and I took part in the Forum in Beijing regarding a new Silk Road. We discussed this new infrastructure and the opportunity for Italy to participate in this project.

Regarding the anti-Russia sanctions,
I would simply like to say that my government has taken a very consistent
position from the outset, and that it will continue to insist on this position.
I have always made my position very clear.

We believe that sanctions are not
the goal. We believe that the sanctions will have a transitional nature, and that Italy as a country will work to create the prerequisites for overcoming
this state of relations between Italy and Russia, the European Union and Russia. This state no longer benefits Russia, the European Union or Italy, which
otherwise might be able to improve its economic and trade relations.

As I have already said, it is
necessary to create the prerequisites for achieving our goal, and various
conditions and circumstances should also mature. We will work to this end. We
are not directly involved in the Normandy Format, but we are always ready to take part in ensuring the prerequisites for a more effective dialogue. There
will be a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council tomorrow, and we would like to see
prerequisites emerge so that forums and dialogues between the European Union
and Russia can be held in the future.

Question: I have a question for both leaders. If I may, I would like to continue with my Italian colleague’s question about relations between Russia and the EU.

You have already said that it is
necessary to change the relations, and many countries are also saying this.
There have been several decisions emphasising that the situation has changed,
in particular, in PACE.

Do you believe that, given the changes
in Brussels, considering that there will be a new President of the European
Commission as well as of several other European agencies, there is a chance to change the situation? Are there any prospects?

I also have a question for the Italian Prime Minister. How great a role is Italy ready to play in the matter?
Perhaps a more important one, a leading role, like a locomotive? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: It does not depend on Russia. I have already said that we are ready to go
our part of the way, of course, if we do not have to face artificial obstacles
along it.

There are always chances, there are
always prospects. We are natural partners in several fields. We are close
geographically, we share a common civilisational code; I cannot see such
obstacles on the way towards restoring our relations that cannot be overcome.
However, I repeat, many things will also depend on our European partners.

Giuseppe Conte: Let me say that when President Putin, our friend Vladimir, says that not
everything depends on Russia, he is being too modest, because in fact Russia
can play an important role to overcome this.

Of course, as I have already said,
it is necessary to create conditions to be able to establish a climate of mutual trust to move ahead. What role can Italy play? I have already said this.
Italy is not directly involved in the activities of the Normandy group, but I said at the meeting – and this goes for other European partners, too, – that
Italy is always inclined towards a dialogue and an inclusive approach and in this sense, Italy can play a beneficial role in this situation.

Every time we near the date when the sanctions should expire, I am sad, because prolonging them is not what I wish
for myself, for Italy or for my Russian friends. Now we have another six
months: alas, we have just extended the sanctions for another six months, but
we still have time.

Question (retranslated): I have a question about Libya. Today, Tripoli said
it would shut down a refugee camp, and Moscow is predicting a possible civil
war in Libya.

President Putin, will Russia continue to support Field Marshal Haftar in the context of this hypothetical scenario?

And a question for Mr Conte: is Italy ready to cope with this possible
threat, when 8,000 refugees are expected to arrive?

Vladimir Putin: We have had a practical discussion
of this matter today. We talked about this in the Vatican, as well as with the President and Prime Minister of Italy. This matter was discussed many times.

Here is what I would like to say at the outset. A question about what
Russia should do and what it will or will not do is very important, but, to be
honest, it would be good to recall how it all began.

Who destroyed Libyan statehood? To the best of my knowledge, NATO made
that decision and European aircraft bombed Libya. The result is here for everyone to see: Libyan statehood has been destroyed. We are witnessing chaos
and a struggle between various paramilitary groups there. I do not believe it
is Russia’s duty to make any decisive contribution to the peace settlement. Let
us ask those whose actions created the situation. This is my first point.

Secondly, we are not shying away from this, but we do not want to focus
on this problem completely. We have stable relations with the government of Fayez
al-Saraj and with Mr Haftar. Both of them have been to Moscow and both of them
have been to Rome.

We believe that that it is necessary to stop the armed standoff as soon
as possible (I noted this in my speech), to launch dialogue and to agree on how
to build and reinstate Libyan statehood. All of us are interested in this.

I am particularly concerned that militants are infiltrating Libya from
the Idlib zone in Syria, and this is a threat to everyone because they can go
anywhere else from Libya. So let us not forget about this.We are ready to pool our efforts, including with
our Italian friends, to help resume dialogue between the warring parties in Libya and to help the people of Libya to restore the normal operation of state
institutions.

Giuseppe Conte: Regarding Libya: as you know, it is a strategic dossier for Italy. We are permanently monitoring the situation and quite recently, I managed to discuss the subject of Libya with many G20 leaders
during the summit. I attempted to convince my interlocutors, and we also talked
about this with President Putin today, we agreed that a military solution would
lead nowhere, it creates instability and there is no doubt that it is the cause
of the humanitarian crises, which are hard to keep under control.

I can say
that Italy is one of the few countries (maybe this is why we Italians, and I personally, know this matter concerning Libya all too well) – we could
instantly sum things up, which allowed us to predict what was going to take
place. Alas, we were good prophets. A military solution in this specific
context could not have led to unification, but on the contrary, currently we
are witnessing a dramatic situation because terrorists and extremists are much
more radical.

I fully
agree with President Putin: it is a real civil war, armed clashes, more or less
serious, but anyway what we see is a civil war. And a humanitarian crisis is
just around the corner. Masses of people have lost their lives and there are
very many refugees. And I can only say that I will continue to work both with
my friends and with people at the international level so that the international
community can unanimously make the Libyan players come to a political decision
and cease fire. After this, we can create conditions for talks in order to discuss the details of such a possible dialogue.

As for Al-Sarraj,
I am calling on Al-Sarraj to fulfil a highly challenging job: he should take responsibility
and make all possible efforts to prevent the total outburst of a humanitarian
crisis.

Question: Today,
you have listed many critical situations, but Venezuela is yet another country.
Did you discuss the situation there? Do you think that the crisis in this
country has been overcome?

And another question, Mr President, about
your meeting in the Vatican. Could you say a few more words about what was
discussed and specific agreements? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I have already said that we have indeed discussed this subject at all
venues, that is, at the Vatican, with the President of the Italian Republic and with my colleague and friend, the Prime Minister.

All of us are concerned about the situation in Venezuela. The Russian side is also extremely concerned about
this. What I want to say is that people are suffering, and this is an established fact. There are many refugees. People are leaving because life is
not going well for them and because there are domestic problems.

We are no less concerned about
foreign interference in Venezuelan problems and the external pressure that
aggravates the plight of Venezuelan citizens. In my opinion, this is
unacceptable. Military involvement is unacceptable and must be totally ruled
out, and the same is true of any other interference in domestic political life.

Yes, we have a good relationship
with President Maduro. And, of course, this relationship was established long
ago. We delivered military equipment to that country, we maintain economic and energy cooperation, we have invested billions of dollars there, and we are
concerned about how the situation will develop regarding the normalisation of relations between the opposing parties.

I can almost quote what I said at all these venues during our talks today. Thus, opposition leader, Mr Guaido, came
out into a square, looked into the sky, addressed the Almighty and proclaimed
himself President. Fine, but the Almighty did not give us his response to this
appeal, he did not send us any message. Therefore, I believe it is necessary to return to our sinful and frail Earth and be guided by democratic procedures and rules that boil down to one thing, namely, dialogue and an appeal to the people
and voters. It is necessary to take part in elections and to address matters of future development during elections.

We welcome the dialogue launched
between the government and the opposition in Norway, and we hope that decisions
seen as mutually acceptable by all of the country’s political forces will be
elaborated during this dialogue without any outside interference, and that these
decisions will help normalise the situation. As we know, President Maduro has
repeatedly voiced his readiness to conduct dialogue with the opposition.

Giuseppe Conte: A few words about Venezuela.

As was said, we talked a lot about Venezuela. This is a crisis that
caught our attention, because, as I reminded President Putin, a community of Italian origin is there, there is an Italian-speaking community living there,
and therefore we are particularly sensitive to what is happening in Venezuela.

In this regard, the Italian position has not changed either. From the very beginning, the Italians took a very clear position. And even some
countries that at first adopted a markedly different position to Italy’s, later
changed their minds. From the very beginning, we spoke about the fact that, alongside
other countries of the European Union, we did not consider that the presidential election was held reliably and under fully democratic conditions.
Therefore, we did not recognise Maduro as President. But at the same time, we
had doubts about the self-proclamation of Guaido as interim President of the Republic,
recognising him as the President of the National Assembly.

This is also a situation of stagnation. A window of dialogue is open in Norway, as President Putin reminded us. We also played our part in this, sent
diplomatic delegations. And we are doing our best to accelerate the process of transition to democracy or to create conditions for democratic, transparent
elections to be held as soon as possible. This is all in order to provide this
country and this people, who suffer so much, with opportunities to restore the situation.

Vladimir Putin: As for the talks in the Vatican, I have already spoken about them. It was a very warm conversation on certain
issues of an international nature, as well as on the development of bilateral
relations between Russia and the Vatican, including the spiritual aspect of this interaction and humanitarian ties.